Rapid population growth, limited water availability, climate variability and environmental pollution together cause a significant challenge to provide sufficient water to urban residents in a sustainable and effective way. Advanced water treatment technology can contribute to the solution of problems physically, but it may not ensure sustainable operation of water systems. The obstacles to sustainable water supply and services often are from non-technical problems such as low cost recovery, lack of sound pricing systems and sustainable financing for increasing service coverage. The financial and economic factors could be a large barrier to the operation of water systems. Through the case of Beijing, the book demonstrates how to use economics in managing urban water systems. The research employs the methods of cost benefit analysis, linear programming and rough set analysis. An integrated and quantitative analysis of the economic, environmental and social effects of water systems considering the viewpoints of different stakeholders is carried out, which is rare in the existing literature. The research shows that economics contributes to identifying the non-technical problems in water systems and can help decision makers to make choices that are consistent with the long-term well being of the community.

The 2010 Annual Report of the Board of Directors to the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reviews ADB's operations, projects, internal administration, financial management and includes a separate report on the activities of the Special Funds of ADB. The report also contains chapters on regional, sectoral and thematic highlights. It also includes the complete financial statements and opinions of the independent auditors, a statistical annex, and appendixes.

Wetlands are usually located in complex landscapes. Multiple ecosystem services delivered by wetlands to human well-being should be considered in broader contexts of wetland functions, water quality, water resource management and wetland conservation. Natural wetlands are 'kidneys' and 'sponges' of the earth that remove water pollutants and provide hydrological regulation functions vital to the environment. Where the functions of the wetlands are weakened, actions of rehabilitations are needed to revitalize those functions. While worldwide many natural wetlands have disappeared due to climate change and/or human activities, constructed wetlands, which may be seen as 'artificial kidneys/sponges' of the earth, have been increasingly built to replicate the functions of the natural wetlands. This Research Topic aims to collect and present the latest research developments in natural and constructed wetlands in relation to either water resource functions or water quality. Articles published in this Research Topic will showcase new understandings of water balances and flow patterns, vegetation characteristics, and pollutant transformations in wetland systems; innovative designs and efficiencies of wastewater treatment wetlands; and technologies that revitalize the ecosystem functions of natural wetlands. These articles are expected to bring benefits to research communities, water and wastewater industries, and government agencies that deal with wetland water management and conservation. High-quality Original Research and Review articles in this field are all welcome for submission to this Research Topic. Research interests include but are not limited to the following areas: 1. Water balances and flow patterns in natural wetland systems. 2. The hydrological regulation functions and importance of natural wetlands in their environmental context. 3. Vegetation characteristics of natural wetlands and their functional importance in wetland water pollution control. 4. Techniques for the rehabilitation of degraded wetlands. 5. The role of constructed wetlands in wastewater treatment. 6. Innovative designs and efficiencies of wastewater treatment wetlands. 7. The modeling of hydrological and/or pollutant dynamics in wetland systems. 8. The ecohydrology of wetlands. 9. The role of wetlands in the global carbon cycle. 10. Impacts of climate change and human activities on wetland hydrology and water resources. Recognizing that hydrological and biogeochemical processes are basically coupled in wetlands and their landscapes, manuscripts that report their interactions are particularly welcome.

The concept of ‘sustainable urban development’ has been pushed to the forefront of policymaking and politics as the world wakes up to the impacts of climate change and the destructive effects of the Anthropocene. Climate change has emerged to be one of the biggest challenges faced by our planet today, threatening both built and natural systems with long-term consequences, which may be irreversible. While there is a vast body of literature on sustainability and sustainable urban development, there is currently limited focus on how to cohesively bring together the vital issues of the planning, development, and management of sustainable cities. Moreover, it has been widely stated that current practices and lifestyles cannot continue if we are to leave a healthy living planet to not only the next generation, but also to the generations beyond. The current global school strikes for climate action (known as Fridays for Future) evidences this. The book advocates the view that the focus needs to rest on ways in which our cities and industries can become green enough to avoid urban ecocide. This book fills a gap in the literature by bringing together issues related to the planning, development, and management of cities and focusing on a triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability.

Water plays an essential role in the development and functioning of a city, but could also be a key risk factor for urban pluvial flooding, which may occur more frequently in the context of future climate change. The traditional means of flood risk management relied heavily on engineering measures, or the use of “gray” infrastructure. Recently, there has been a call to integrate nature-based solutions (NBS), which make use of natural processes and ecosystem services, with conventional engineering approaches. NBS infrastructures and designs pay great attention to ecosystem services considerations in assessing their induced hydrological processes, as well as in managing the stormwater and mitigating urban flood and droughts. Nevertheless, compared with grey infrastructure, larger space could be demanded for NBS, while the buffer effect for NBS in extremes events is still uncertain for evaluation.

Collection of selected, peer reviewed papers from the 2013 2nd International Conference on Civil, Architectural and Hydraulic Engineering (ICCAHE 2013), July 27-28, 2013, Zhuhai, China. Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters CPCI-S (WoS). The 324 papers are grouped as follows: Chapter 1: Sustainable City and Regional Development; Chapter 2: Environmental Engineering and Environmental Protection; Chapter 3: Architectural Design and Its Theory; Chapter 4: Renewable Energy, Low Carbon, Energy Saving in Building and Research of Urban Living Environment; Chapter 5: Landscape Planning and Design; Chapter 6: Urban Planning and Design; Chapter 7: Transportation Planning, Traffic Control and Logistics Engineering; Chapter 8: Transportation Machinery; Chapter 9: Engineering Management and Engineering Education; Chapter 10: Computer Applications and Information Technologies.